Restraining belt



y 1965 B. N. SHIRRO'D 3,182,338

RESTRAINING BELT Filed Nov. 2, 1962 INV EN TOR. 15 Z 6%9424 Now/M00United States Patent 3,182,338 RESTRAINING BELT Barbara N. Shirrod, SanDiego, Calif., assignor to J. Thornton Posey, Alt-adena, Calif. FiledNov. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 235,014 6 Claims. (Cl. -336) This inventionprovides a belt for restraining a patient in bed, and yet permitting himto roll from side to side comfortably.

It is often necessary to restrain patients in bed, and yet provide asuitable degree of freedom to prevent discomfort. Many of therestraining belts now in use are cumbersome, or impose uncomfortablefriction on a patient as he attempts limited movement within the bed inwhich he is restrained. This invention provides a restraining belt whichkeeps a patient in bed, yet literally rolls with the patient to permitlimited movement with comfort and without friction.

Briefly, the belt is an elongated strap which has a slot in itsintermediate portion to permit one end of the strap to be disposedthrough the slot and form a restraining loop for the patient.

Preferably, opposite ends of the belt are secured to the sides of thebed, or are wrapped around the side rails of the bed, and securedtogether underneath the bed. The slot inthe strap is elongated and has alength about equal to that of the width of the patient at his waist.Preferably, the slot is about as wide as the end of the belt which fitsthrough it so that there is no wrinkling of the belt when it is disposedthrough the slot.

Thus, with the restraining loop disposed around the patient, the slot inthe belt permits the patient to roll from side to side without friction,without binding, and with safety and comfort.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understoodfrom the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the presently preferredembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the belt installed to restrain apatient.

Referring to FIG. 1, the belt includes an elongated strap 10 having abuckle 12 secured to one end. The intermediate portion of the beltincludes an enlarged section or pad 16 which has an elongated slot 18 ofslightly greater width than the end portions of the strap.

, preferably it is of strong reinforced webbing which can be launderedby ordinary means. The belt can also be made in small, medium, and largesizes to accommodate patients of different ages and sizes.

To use the belt, the buckle end of the strap is wrapped around a siderail 20 of a bed 22, as shown in FIG. 2. The pad 16 of the strap isplaced flat in the center of the bed. The patient is placed on the padand turned on his side (left, as viewed in FIG. 2). The free end of thestrap is looped back over the patient and threaded through the slot inthe pad. The patient is then rolled to the opposite side, and the freeend of the strap is drawn through the slot until it is comfortablysecure around the patients waist. Thus, a portion of the belt forms asnug restraining loop 23 around the patients Waist. The free end of thestrap with the holes 14 is ice wrapped around the opposite side rail(not shown) once to anchor the entire belt and patient in the center ofthe bed. The ends of the belt are then buckled together under the bedand out of the patients sight and reach.

Once the belt is on the patient, it does not change adjustment. However,the patient is able to turn from side to side within the limits providedby the length of the slot in the pad. For example, if the patient rollson his right side, the right (as viewed in FIG. 2) end 24 of the pad isfree to follow him for a limited distance. On the other hand, if thepatient rolls on his left side, the restraining loop 23 is free totravel the distance permitted by the slot 18. If it is desirable for thepatient to sit up, a little slack is provided in the belt between theportions secured to the side rail and including the pad.

I claim:

1. A belt for restraining a patient in bed and permitting the patient toroll from side to side, the belt comprising an elongated strap having anelongated slot in its intermediate portion to permit one end of thestrap to be disposed through the slot and form a restraining loop forthe patient.

2. A belt for restraining a patient in bed and permitting the patient toroll from side to side, the belt comprising an elongated strap having anelongated slot in its intermediate portion to permit one end of thestrap to be disposed through the slot and form a restraining loop forthe patient, the Width of the slot being slightly greater than the saidone end of the strap to permit the strap to form the restraining loopwithout wrinkling.

3. A belt for restraining a patient in bed and permitting the patient toroll from side to side, the belt comprising an elongated strap having anintermediate portion of increased width and having an elongated slot inthe wider portion to permit one end of the strap to be disposed throughthe slot and form a restraining loop for the patient.

4. A belt for restraining a patient in bed and permiting the patient toroll from side to side, the belt comprising an elongated strap having anelongated slot in its intermediate portion to permit one end of thestrap to be disposed through the slot and form a restraining loop forthe patient, and means for securing the belt to the bed.

5. A belt for restraining a patient in bed and permitting the patient toroll from side to side, the bed having side rails, the belt comprisingan elongated strap having an elongated slot in its intermediate portionto permit one end of the strap to be disposed through the slot and forma restraining loop for the patient, the strap on each side of the slotbeing wrapped around a respective side rail of the bed.

6. A belt for restraining a patient in bed and permitting the patient toroll from side to side, the belt comprising an elongated strap having anelongated slot in its intermediate portion to permit one end of thestrap to be disposed through the slot and form a restraining loop forthe patient, and means for securing the ends of the strap together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 837,373 12/06Akers 5-336 3,108,292 10/63 Bodnar et a1. 5-336 X FRANK B. SHERRY,Primary Examiner.

1. A BELT FOR RESTRAINING A PATIENT IN BED AND PERMITTING THE PATIENT TO ROLL FROM SIDE TO SIDE, THE BELT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED STRAP HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT IN ITS INTEMEDIATE PORTION TO PERMIT ONE END OF THE STRAP TO BE DISPOSED THROUGH THE SLOT AND FROM A RESTRAINING LOOP FOR THE PATIENT. 